In his July 14, 2009 photo, pop singer Nazril Irham, better known as Ariel, left, and his girlfriend top model and actress Luna Maya, right, are mobbed by reporters in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesians grappled with their first-ever celebrity sextape scandal in June 2010, casting aside social taboos as they swarmed around office computers and mobile phones to watch explicit clips allegedly showing the popular singer having sex with his girlfriend and another one with his equally famous ex-girlfriend Cut Tari.

In his July 14, 2009 photo, pop singer Nazril Irham, better known as Ariel, left, and his girlfriend top model and actress Luna Maya, right, are mobbed by reporters in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesians grappled with their first-ever celebrity sextape scandal in June 2010, casting aside social taboos as they swarmed around office computers and mobile phones to watch explicit clips allegedly showing the popular singer having s e x with his girlfriend and another one with his equally famous ex-girlfriend Cut Tari.

Although three celebrities believed to be involved in a series of sex videos may not have been the ones who spread them on the Internet, the trio may face charges of violating anti-porn law, police said on Sunday.

Officers from the National Police security and transnational affairs unit investigating the scandal that broke last week believe the three violated the law just by being involved in the videos, a police source told the Jakarta Globe.

“After a short interview with Ariel and Luna Maya on Friday, we are starting to focus our investigation based on Law No. 44/2008 on Pornography. We believe that they breached the law, even though so far there are no indications that they intentionally distributed these videos,” the source said.

He said Nazril “Ariel” Irham, the lead vocalist of the band Peterpan, would be investigated on suspicion of having violated Article 4 of the anti-pornography law that prohibits producing, creating, reproducing, copying, distributing, broadcasting, importing, exporting, offering, trading, renting or otherwise making available pornography.

Ariel allegedly produced and created the videos, the source said, adding that the ban also covered material intended for private consumption.

Those found guilty face up to 12 years in prison and fines of up to Rp 6 billion (RM2.13mil).

“We are still summoning several experts to prove our allegation that Ariel intentionally produced these videos,” he said.

Actresses and presenters Luna Maya and Cut Tari, the two women in the videos featuring Ariel, could also face the charge, under the same law, on modelling for pornography.

“We are on the way to proving that both of them, Ariel also, violated Article 8, which states that a person is prohibited from knowingly or consentingly being objects or models for pornographic content,” the source said. The charge carries up to 10 years in jail and fines of up to Rp 5 billion (RM1.77mil).

The National Police security and transnational affairs deputy chief, Comr. M Iriawan, said “the investigation is ongoing,” and declined further comment.

On Thursday, National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi said police were certain that it was the three celebrities, not look-alikes, who were involved in the videos that have been widely circulated online.

Meanwhile, Rudi Satrio, a legal expert at the University of Indonesia, said that if police could identify the actors in a pornographic video, “a producer and creator” could be charged with breaking the anti-pornography law.

On the possibility of charging them with Criminal Code violation of adultery, he said only Cut Tari could be charged as she was the only one married.

“But first, there must be an official complaint from [her] husband and it should be ascertained when this sexual activity happened. Did it happen before her marriage? If yes, it cannot be prosecuted.”

OC Kaligis, Ariel’s and Luna’s lawyer, said on Friday that his clients were “victims,” but he did not elaborate on whether this was because they were not the people in the videos or because the videos were distributed without their consent.

It is believed that the videos were taken from a computer hard drive lost by Ariel.

“He did not turn himself in but he was turned in by his lawyers on Tuesday morning. He is under arrest,” Ito told Detik.com.

Ariel is the only suspect charged in relation to the production of three videos, two featuring current girlfriend and television presenter Luna Maya and a third starring Cut Tari, host of the popular ‘Insert’ gossip show.

Ito said Luna and Cut Tari, who is married, were still classified as witnesses.

He said that Ariel would had been charged under the Anti-Pornography Law. According to Chapter 29 of the law, anyone who produces, makes, disseminates, broadcasts, imports, exports, offers, sells, rents or provides pornography can face a minimum six month or maximum 12 year jail term.